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The sound was great up near the track–really added a professional feel to the event. But hearing announcements etc in the South 40 was impossible–which was a particular challenge given all the changes to the printed schedule (not to mention the whiteboard that had the order wrong too).
The key ring photos are pretty much what you see is what you get; personally I think they’re pretty cool for the price for kids to have. But I completely agree with the others that they are HORRIBLE when enlarged–don’t waste your money. I also agree with Curt that Danny at Gotcha does great work.
The trick I’ve heard a number of times is to heat the wheel in a moderate oven (I guess around 200 degrees) for 15 minutes or so. The theory is that the aluminum or magnesium wheel expands with heat more than the steel bearings, hence there is no longer a friction fit and the bearings fall right out.
Now I’ve tried this a couple times with no success (though I suspect that I was then able to drive the bearings out with a punch easier than if I hadn’t done the heat trick). Maybe it’s just me, or maybe I didn’t heat them enough? :idn:
The other half of the trick is to put the bearings in the freezer while the wheels are in the oven. They will then literally fall into place. I’ve had better luck with this part. The only caution is not to dilly-dally around when dropping them in, because the hot wheel will very quickly warm up the bearing–resulting in them getting “stuck” halfway in. Not a big deal, because then all you need to do is press them the rest of the way in just like you would have anyway.
Oh, and don’t forget to remove the valve stem before sticking the wheels in the oven!! And it’s probably wise to do this when the Better Half isn’t in the house, because those delicate feminine noses seem to notice a certain aroma when baking wheels! 👿
There’s been a huge discussion of pros and cons of the wide bumpers on ekartingnews, particularly since the death of Caleb Maxwell while racing Jr 1 last year. Some argue that it increases bumping–others argue that is what the black flag is for. I agree with the latter. Worst case, I’d much rather have my kids bumped off the track than have a kart run over them.
Anyway, back to your question. I’d check with George–I think he’s allowing any of the “wide” bumpers. I think you’ll find that American Power Sports and Rieken’s–among other major shops–carry what you’ll need. Bob Hawkins is also getting a shipment of bumpers in, and for that matter George told me that he is also stocking Buller bumpers.
bump
(I too would really like an idea for Rotax Jr gear ratios for Bandi and IMI–GJMS too for that matter!)
Doug,
My sons racing Jr 1 and Tag Jr. will be more than happy to help you “recycle” those YHCs!! :sun:
Hi Angie. Let me add my thanks for all the work you’ve done!
As to your question about the pipe for the K80, as Don and John said, the “standard” Comer pipe is the Veyvey pipe, sometimes also known as the Vevery pipe. It’s spelled out in the Comer maintenance manual, which can be found at: http://www.teamgennari.com/comermaint.pdf
Powder Coating Specialists? They did some work on suspension parts for a vintage Volvo of mine and I was very happy with the work. Turnaround wasn’t too quick, though. (By contrast, I had my Volvo wheels powder-coated by CW Elaborations in north Denver and they were rusting in the seams within a year!)
I strongly second Rich’s comments. I’ve read a couple books and lots of handouts on the topic, but this was the first time that the underlying CONCEPTS sunk into my thick skull. Thanks, Doug, for taking the time and to Curt for making the arrangements.
Another big conflict with CRE is the Rotax Max Challenge; 3 of the 6 dates conflict with CSC events (May 16, June 13, Sept. 12). Not sure what can be done about that, but it will certainly create some conflicts for those who wanted to run both RMC and CSC/TAG. 😥
Rod, it seems to me that an alternative solution is to run the Briggs restricted–wouldn’t that pretty much narrow the gap between the Briggs and the Comer K80? Isn’t that what’s done everywhere else in the country? I’m actually ambivalent about weight vs restrictor, since Patrick will be moving on to Tag Jr, and his much lighter weight brother will be taking over the Comer I’d be happy to see lighter weights. Safer for the driver and easier on my back to boot! But I’d hate to see the K80 eliminated entirely.
Brad, it’s a bit optimistic to say the Comer K80 is 9 HP. To get there, you need to go the very expensive blueprinting route. I think it’s more like 8.5 HP out of the box. (But I will defer to Rod here because I think he’s got the best data).
Stacey, CRE is thinking about running the mini-Max as a transitional class between Junior 1 (Comer 80) and Rotax Jr, but I don’t know if that’s really going to happen. The word I’ve heard on EKN is that mini is a real screamer. Running it as a separate class/flight sounds like a great idea (if there were enough around), but I can’t see adding it to the already confused JR 1 pack.
So when is the January meeting going to be held?
